Michael W. Morrissey (born August 2,1954) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the District Attorney of Norfolk County,Massachusetts,since 2011.[1] He was first elected in 2010 and is currently serving his fourth term.
Morrissey's first term as Norfolk District Attorney began after winning the 2010 District Attorney General Election. He was sworn in early,on January 2,2011,to succeed William R. Keating,who had resigned from his position as Norfolk DA to serve in the United States House of Representatives.[1]
Two recent cases involving Norfolk District Attorney Morrissey's office,the deaths of John O'Keefe and Sandra Birchmore,have cast public doubt on prosecutorial integrity and law enforcement accountability.[6] These allegations led to the launch of a federal probe,as well as an independent audit of the Canton Police Department by the firm 5 Stones Intelligence,which uncovered evidence of "antiquated policing."[7]
Commonwealth vs. Karen Read
Norfolk District Attorney Morrissey's office announced the arrest of Karen Read on February 2,2022 in connection with the death of her boyfriend,Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe. O'Keefe was found unconscious on the front lawn of fellow Boston Police Officer,Brian Albert,in Canton. Read was initially charged with manslaughter.[8][9]
On Friday,August 25,2023,before the trial even began,District Attorney Morrissey's office released a pre-recorded video statement declaring Read's guilt and defending the innocence of the witnesses of the case. He claimed that the "constitutional presumption of innocence" should be afforded to these witnesses,who were not on trial,yet did not defend the same right for Read.[11]
Read's first trial resulted in a mistrial on July 1,2024,due to a hung jury. On June 18,2025,Read's retrial resulted in a verdict of "not guilty" on all major charges. She was found guilty of operating a vehicle under the influence,receiving the standard sentence of one year probation. Morrissey's only comment was,"The jury has spoken."[12]
Killing of Sandra Birchmore
On February 4,2021,23-year-old Sandra Birchmore,a native of Stoughton,Massachusetts,was found dead in her Canton,Massachusetts apartment following a wellness check. She was three months pregnant at the time. Her death was initially ruled a suicide by the state medical examiner,and in a 2022 statement,the Norfolk District Attorney's Office spokesperson said their initial investigation “found no evidence of foul play”in Birchmore's death.[13]
Federal authorities[14] later determined that her death was a homicide,alleging that a former Stoughton Police Officer,Matthew Farwell,murdered Birchmore,tampered with her digital devices,and staged the scene to appear as if the victim had taken her own life. Farwell's federalindictment[14] was announced by actingU.S. AttorneyJoshua S. Levy at a nationally-broadcast press conference in August 2024.[15][16]
Authorities allege Birchmore and Farwell had a sexual relationship for years,beginning in 2013 when the two were 15 and 27,respectively. Farwell reportedly forced her to participate in violent rape fantasies. In late 2020,Birchmore informed Farwell that she was pregnant. Before her death,Birchmore disclosed to several people that Farwell had been physically violent with her.[17]
In June 2025,it was revealed that a DNA test found that Farwell was not the father of Birchmore's unborn child.[18]
References
1 2 State House News Service , Wicked Local Burlington, January 1, 2011.
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